Higher education badly let down: deeply disappointed by decision of the Senate

The education budget that was adopted by the tweede kamer (Senate) on Tuesday, April 8, is of great concern to Hanze and we has severely disappointed us.

We remain firmly opposed to the announced cuts in higher education. They undermine the quality of education, economic progress and social development. That is exactly what the Netherlands needs, especially in these times, and you should not cut back on it. Cutting back on higher education is the most foolish thing you can do. We need young people for the future of our region and our country.

Balanced Internationalisation

The Balanced Internationalisation Bill (WIB in Dutch) is part of these cutbacks. In combination with the already predicted decline in students in higher professional education, this law threatens to lead to a decline in the national educational offer. This while internationalisation in higher professional education is very limited, stable and labour market-oriented. Recent research (in Dutch) shows that international students are increasingly staying in the Netherlands after their studies. Of the graduated international students, 57% will stay in the Netherlands in 2023 after graduation, compared to 40% in 2018.

Valuable international experience in education

Further restricting English-language programmes is at the expense of valuable internationally oriented education, which is closely linked to the regional labour market and can offer solutions for shortage sectors such as technology. The call from all universities of applied sciences, including Hanze, remains: leave our limited number of existing English-language programmes alone and trust in the binding agreements that universities of applied sciences have made about a responsible and controlled future of internationalisation in higher professional education.

Despite the approval of the Senate, we remain committed to counteracting the negative consequences of these cuts as much as possible. Together with the other universities of applied sciences and together with the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences, we will remain firmly opposed and determined to contest it.

Lees ook: 'We zijn faliekant tegen de aangekondigde bezuinigingen op het hoger onderwijs' (Dutch only)